Ribault Lady Trojans eye another state title

When you win a state championship, the target on your back is bound to be big. When you win a state championship with a perfect record of 31-0, the target is massive.

"Staying focused and humble is probably the most different thing," said Ribault head coach Sheila Pennick. "Focus on the task. The goals never change. And to be humble no matter what amount of success we have until we get to Lakeland and that last game and that last basket and we're a winner."

The Ribault Lady Trojans are in position to repeat as state champions. The team is 26-5 on the year with most of its losses coming against nationally ranked squads.

"We just went on our own journey to try and play a national schedule and try to get our program back to where it used to be," said Pennick.

Senior point guard Sierra Shepherd is one of twelve returning players for the Lady Trojans. She believes the tough schedule could help during the playoff run.

"I feel that because of how our schedule was laid out, we're battled tested and ready," said Shepherd.

Ribault travels to Bolles in the Class 4A regional semifinal on Tuesday night. The two schools are rivals but Shepherd does not envision a difficult game.

"I'm expecting a pretty...I don't want to say easy game but it's going to be fun to play against them," said Shepherd. They're kind of like our rivals ever since I got to Ribault. But I don't really think it's going to be tough."

Copyright 2014 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Comments

The views expressed below are not those of News4Jax or its affiliated companies. By clicking on "Post," you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Service and your comment is in compliance with such terms. Readers, please help keep this discussion respectful and on topic by flagging comments that are offensive or inappropriate (hover over the commenter's name and you'll see the flag option appear on right side of that line). And remember, respect goes both ways: Tolerance of others' opinions is important in a free discourse. If you're easily offended by strong opinions, you might skip reading comments entirely.